Jungle Trekking with Real Natives

JUNGLE CAMPING and TREKKING with the most skilled jungle crafters we have ever met. The native tribe of the Tao’t Bato dates back thousands of years. Recently we spent 6 days learning from 3 trusty Tao’t Bato natives of Palawan island Philippines. The head guide and native Dinio Castom is quite amazing to trek with. His jungle skills are vast. He can hunt and trap game, make a shelter with only his machete and survive comfortably with almost no gear.

Thousands of tourists arrive at Palawan’s capital city Peurto Princessa every week, most of them immediately head north to the picturesque beaches of El Nido; few travel south. Many tourists are afraid to travel south and I don’t blame them, south Palawan is one of the most undeveloped parts of the Philippines. There are many hazards, the roads are rough, the mosquitoes carry malaria, there’s modern day pirates floating in the seas and there’s pockets of militant groups hiding in the mountains 🙂 Personally I would not travel into this far south region without a good Filipino/English interpreter. Lucky for me I have Christina! Many of the natives cannot speak Filipino so at times I need 2 interpreters to ask them a question.
Despite the hazards, this great lack of modern development means you have the chance to see some fantastic jungle wilderness.

JUNGLE MOUNTAIN PEAKS
On the 4th day of our trek we finally reached the extremely remote mountain peak that the natives call Mt Kulbon. Off to the west by 8km is the “DO NOT GO MOUNTAIN” they call Tres Marias 0:44. Tres Marias has become a DO NOT GO ZONE due to a recent attack on the local seaside village called Ransang. There is a non-uniformed Philippine military outpost guarding Ransang. The soldiers stay out of uniform due to the risk of guerrilla attack. Before entering the national park you must pass through this outpost to sign in, and more importantly get their permission to enter 🙂 Like all of the rebel militant groups in southern Philippines, the Tres Marias guerrillas want one thing, to start their own country 😉 The Philippine flag stands defiantly at Ransang outpost. Sadly this feuding military activity could eventually bring an end to the Tao’t Bato culture.

TREKKING PREPARATION WARNING
During our 6 day trek we met 2 backpackers from Lithuania who were in the 2nd day of a planned 8 day hike. They had only small bags and were accompanied by 2 natives. On day 3 they unfortunately had to abandon their plan of crossing Palawan island due to a lack of food. This area is only 8 degrees north of the equator. South Palawan is a very harsh environment, as an outsider you will be vulnerable to things like heat stroke, exhaustion from the extreme humidity, and most annoyingly insect bites. The Tao’t Bato can guarantee you a clean water source, but it is very important to bring in a good healthy food supply. The Lithuanians were carrying too much canned food. This is the kind of place where many jungle trekkers must abandon plan A.

We hope you can be entertained by this video. We also hope you can learn things about junglecraft and jungle trekking. Feel free to post any questions. There is lots more to see at Bush Channel! Happy Camping!!!

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Gunshot ricochet sound recorded by Grant Evans
Bush Channel Cartoon artwork by Gerald Carr